Hello! I'm a member of the Class of 2020, majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in mathematics. Originally from New Delhi, India, I'm currently involved in the Meridian Society, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the EcoReps program and research. I spend my free time walking across campus, making new friends, chasing groundhogs, and writing about the same. I'm so excited to share my experiences with all of you!

It’s December, and you know what that means? Winter is here at the University of Rochester! Now, you might ask what’s so special about winter here at the University, and I would say, “A lot of things!” But, to keep this short and sweet, here are three of my favorite things about University of Rochester winters:

1. Snowfall

As an international student from New Delhi, India, snow is somewhat of a novelty for me; despite the fact that I’ve seen three snowfalls in the past few weeks, I still get overly excited whenever I see solid stuff falling from the sky. My friends, who don’t usually share my enthusiasm, find it hilarious that I can be that enthusiastic about something trivial like snow. But for me, snowfalls imply and inevitably lead to snowball fights, snowman-making and hot chocolate—all things that I absolutely adore and first experienced here at college.

I found this cute photo of George Eastman’s statue on the University of Rochester Facebook page…

2. Christmas spirit

This was one of my favorite things about December: watching other people get super enthusiastic about Christmas and winter holidays. While Christmas was never a thing for me before, this year, I found myself wanting to be a part of this tradition (Why? Maybe because of the “ugly” sweaters and Santa hats. The world may never know.). My friends and I decided to convert our home lounge into a winter wonderland: we decked out the room and the halls in Christmas decorations and paper snowflakes (and possibly, a Christmas tree). What’s even better is that most campus locations participate in this holiday spirit, too; Starbucks has holiday-themed cups, the Rush Rhees Library has Christmas music and the dining halls are decorated. If you’re one to appreciate the wonders of the holidays, the University of Rochester is the perfect place for you!

The Lounge walls, decked in handmade snowflakes…

3. Finals and… spring semester

While this is not a traditional thing on most awesome-things-about-winter lists, I feel that for me personally, finals represent something positive (that I made it through almost four months of college!). Finals are a great way to know where you stand, learning-wise, to self-evaluate and to make wiser decisions in regards to next semester. Studying for finals made me realize where my strong points are and where I need to work harder. Also, finals directly lead to winter break when most of us go back home to our families. And then, when break is over, we land smack at the beginning of NEXT SEMESTER! If it isn’t obvious by now, I’m really looking forward to next semester! If you would like to know more about my current semester, feel free to read my other blog post.

As you have read, winter at Rochester is somewhat of a unique experience; it has a kind of special, home-like feeling that you can only experience for yourself! I’m glad that I got this opportunity, and I hope you do, too!

About the author

Ananya Goyal

Hello! I'm a member of the Class of 2020, majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in mathematics. Originally from New Delhi, India, I'm currently involved in the Meridian Society, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the EcoReps program and research. I spend my free time walking across campus, making new friends, chasing groundhogs, and writing about the same. I'm so excited to share my experiences with all of you!